Pennsville 12U All-Stars hands South Vineland first loss of tournament to set up winner-take-all game for District 3 LL title
DISTRICT 3 LL TOURNAMENT Championship Round (At East Vineland LL) Pennsville 13, South Vineland 4 Saturday’s game Pennsville vs. South Vineland, 7 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
VINELAND – The Pennsville Little League 12U All-Stars wasted little time making their intentions known about wanting to play for a district championship.
They scored early and often to beat South Vineland 13-4 Friday and set up a winner-take-all game Saturday for the District 3 Tournament title.
John Swiderski and JoJo Mannino hit back-to-back homers in a four-run first inning and Pennsville added five in the second to open a 9-0 lead.
“Being able to put up nine runs in the first two innings sent a statement saying you beat us once, you’re not going to beat us again,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said, referring to South Vineland’s 7-2 win in pool play. “We’re here to win it and the kids came ready to go.
“From the first batter all the way to our 12th batter each kid was ready to go. Being able to put up the four and the five just shows they were aggressive, they were ready to battle.”
Swiderski and Mannino went back-to-back in the first to extend Pennsville’s lead to 3-1. For Swiderski, it was his second homer in as many games. For Mannino it was his sixth homer of the tournament and fifth in the last five games.
It was the second time this tournament Mannino was part of back-to-back jacks, but the first time they were both over the fence. He and Nate Breeden hit back-to-back inside-the-park homers at Bridgeton in their final pool game.
Swiderski and Mannino also drove runs home in the second inning. They were both 2-for-2 with two RBIs. The first six hitters in Pennsville’s lineup were 10-for-16 with eight runs scored and seven RBIs.
“I think the statement we made was we’re coming out here to play,” Mannino said. “I loved the way we started today because we don’t really start off real hot. We usually start off light, but today we came out blazing. We were ready today.”
The big early lead gave pitcher Cayden L’Ecuyer “a lot more confidence” going to the mound in a high-stakes game. L’Ecuyer struck out the side in order in the first, held South Vineland to one run and five hits the first time through the 12-man lineup and pitched into the fifth inning before reaching his pitch limit . Caleb Fontaine got the final four outs without a ball leaving the infield.
L’Ecuyer wound up giving up eight hits and striking out six without issuing a walk. He got the win in Wednesday’s elimination game with East Vineland as well.
“He was brilliant,” Pangle said. “He pitched beautifully and did exactly what we wanted him to do. I don’t think the other team knew we had another pitcher like that right now, and that was huge for us not to use him and wait towards the end of the tournament to use him.”
The win came on a two-year anniversary of Pennsville’s win over South Vineland in the 10U playoffs. All but two of the current Pennsville players were on that team.
There will be a little more spice to Saturday’s meeting than a normal championship game after an incident involving an illegal bat resulted in the ejection of a South Vineland manager and player and carryover sanctions Saturday.
The controversy arose with two outs in the third inning after Kayden Potts followed Mason Mendez’ solo homer with a double. The umpires determined the pencil bat Potts used in his at-bat was illegal in 12U Little League. As a result, Potts, South Vineland manager Hiram Cordero and the bat were all thrown out of the game and possibly suspended for Saturday’s game.
South Vineland acting manager Delmo Perez said he would be contacting league, district and state Little League officials to get some clarification and potentially contest the game “because that is the gamechanger of this whole entire thing.” He said the bats were checked prior to the game.
As a result of the controversy Pangle said he expects to face an opponent with a chip on its shoulder Saturday and Perez said as much.
“My boys are going to come ready tomorrow, most definitely,” he said. “They got kicked in the mouth and now they’re ready to kick somebody in the mouth.”
After the incident, South Vineland’s proper bats came to life briefly in the fourth. They scored three runs to get within 10-4 before L’Ecuyer rediscovered his focus and retired the next three batters on nine pitches to kill the rally.
“I wasn’t worried about those runs,” L’Ecuyer said. “I was just trying to show them that they aren’t that good and it’s only four runs.”
The winner of Saturday’s game will play East Greenwich in the opening round of the Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL July 12.
District 3 LL Tournament Pennsville 13, South Vineland 4
Pennsville’s Cayden L’Ecuyer and South Vineland pitcher Elijuah Perez both look towards the umpire after L’Ecuyer slid safely into home to score in the first inning of their District 3 championship round game. On the cover, Pennsville players mob John Swiderski at the plate after his first-inning homer.
Pennsville reaches District 3 Little League championship round after knocking off East Vineland 10-5
DISTRICT 3 LL FINALS At East Vineland WEDNESDAY’S GAME Pennsvile 10, East Vineland 5 (EV eliminated) FRIDAY’S GAME Pennsville vs. South Vineland, 7 p.m. SATURDAY’S GAME Pennsville vs. South Vineland (If necessary), 7 p.m. (Winner to Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL, starting July 12)
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
VINELAND — It has been five years since Pennsville LL played for a district title. Manager Steve Pangle figures it’s about their time.
Pennsville used two big innings, got several big hits, some solid pitching and ended the game with a fabulous catch to turn back East Vineland 10-5 and reach the District 3 Tournament championship round.
They now play undefeated South Vineland here at Fiocchi Field Friday at 7 p.m. in the first of potentially two championship games. If Pennsville wins, the teams will return for a winner-take-all game Saturday at 7 p.m.
“I think we’re in great position,” Pangle said. “We used our pitchers smartly here today, that way we can still used them on Friday. I feel really good about Friday. As a coaching staff we’re pumped, we’re eady. The boys are pumped and ready, just the way they acted when they got that last out.
“This is us. This is our turn. This is our time. They really rallied together to really make it our time.”
Pennsville rallied from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the team that sent them into the loser’s bracket on Opening Night of the Final Four. They took the lead with five in the third inning, highlighted by Nate Breeden’s go-ahead two-run single, and after East Vineland got back within 6-5 they scored four in the fifth, capped by John Swiderski’s three-run homer, for a lot of breathing room.
The last time Pennsville played for the 12U district title, 2019, they won it. Most of the players on this year’s team were playing coach-pitch back then.
Swiderski’s homer in the fifth inning came after Owen Whalen led off with a double, Nate Morrison walked and Breeden singled home Whalen. Breeden was 2-for-2 in the game with three RBIs and is 5-for-6 in the playoff portion of the tournament
“That was huge,” Pangle said. “We were telling him he’s due, he’s due for a homer. He hadn’t hit one since the first game in Pennsville. We just kept telling him to keep at it, your time’s coming, not the homer so much but you’re big hit’s coming; we can see it. And we told him to believe in himself. If you believe in yourself, good things will come, and that’s what happened.”
“It meant a lot to me because I struggled last game,” Swiderski said. “I was just trying to help myself on the mound, get some more support runs.”
Swiderski came to the mound to put out a fire in the fifth, getting the final out of the inning on a full-count strikeout with the bases loaded, and closed it out in the sixth with a little help from his best friend. Left fielder Caleb Fontaine ran down travel ball teammate Carter Perkins’ shot to the left centerfield gap, stretching out and snagging the ball in the fingers of his glove for the final out of the game.
“I can’t even believe I caught it,” Fontaine said. “It was kind of like one of the best catches I’ve ever caught in my life. I was just running as fast as I could to get there.”
The momentum of the play carried Fontaine to the ground where his teammates mobbed him as if he just delivered a walk-off homer.
“That was awesome,” Swiderski said. “Me and Caleb are best friends and we’re best friends for life now.”
Another key to Pennsville’s success was the way it handled EV slugger Enzo Canderlario. They were the first team this tournament to keep Candelario in the yard. He did score twice, but with Pennsville pitching him the way MLB pitchers go after Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos — outside and low — he went without a homer for the first time in six district tournament games and was officially 0-for-2. They took the bat out of his hands in the fifth with an intentional walk.
Swiderski’s homer in the bottom of the fifth basically made it so Canderlario wouldn’t beat them if he came up in the sixth if the pitchers took care of business at the start of the inning. Thanks to Fontaine’s catch, they never had to test that theory.
“(We wanted to) keep it out of the zone; pitch around him and have him chase stuff,” Pangle said. “We wanted to stay out of the zone, but just off the zone to where he could do little dribblers if he did make contact or miss it altogether.”
Because everything came together in one place Wednesday night, Pennsville now is two wins away from a district championship.
“Big things are happening right now in Pennsville with baseball and softball.,” Pangle said. “It couldn’t be better right now..”
Pennsville 10, East Vineland 5
East Vineland (4-2)
111
020-
5
7
2
Pennsville (5-2)
015
04X-
10
6
3
WP: Cayden L.Ecuyer. LP: Ethan Kleinow. 2B: Matt DePalma (EV), John Swiderski (P), Nate Breeden (P), Owen Whalen (P). HR: John Swiderski (P).
Brayden Roberts (22) slides in with the go-ahead run during Pennsville’s five-run third inning Wednesday. On the cover, Roberts leaps into the arms of pitcher John Swiderski after Pennsville sealed the 10-5 victory.
Pennsville staves off elimination in the District 3 LL Tournament behind Morrison’s pitching and big extra-base hits by Mannino, Weatherbee; South Vineland reaches championship round; includes Section 4 softball update
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
VINELAND – The Pennsville bats were stifled for the first four innings of their District 3 elimination game Tuesday night, but manager Steve Pangle never lost confidence they would come around and he let his players know it every chance he got.
The bats did come alive in a big way in the fifth inning and now the Pennsville 12U All-Stars are playing for a spot in the district championship game.
JoJo Mannino crushed a two-run homer and Brayden Weatherbee roped a three-run double to fuel a five-run fifth that carried Pennsville to a 5-3 win over Millville American in the District 3 Little League Tournament. They now play East Vineland in East Vineland Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. with a place in the championship game opposite South Vineland in the balance.
Millville starter Vash Jacobs, helped by a couple double plays, had faced only one batter over the minimum through a scoreless four innings, but Pennsville got to him in the fifth.
Nathan Breeden got it started with a leadoff double and he scored on Mannino’s no-doubter of a go-ahead two-run homer. Cayden L’Ecuyer restarted it by reaching on a dropped third strike, Chase Pangle singled, Caleb Fontaine drew a two-out walk to load the bases and then Weatherbee brought them all around with his hit of the game.
“I was confident the bats would come around,” Pangle said. “I just wanted to hang with them, stay with them, keep the score close if not the same (until they did).
“I preached to them the whole game that this is our game. I felt it. I could just feel the vibe how we did warmups. I let them know every inning they came out this is us, you’ve got to have it in your heart right now. I feel it; you’ve got to feel it.
“In the fourth inning, after they got that (go-ahead) hit, a couple of the kids came up and were like I feel it. I said, you feel that? Yes, I feel it. All right then let’s do it and that’s when we had the five-run inning.”
None of the hits were bigger than Weatherbee’s double – and not just for what it did to the scoreboard. The only 11-year-old on the roster, Weatherbee was 0-for-10 in the tournament with seven strikeouts and had fanned in his previous three at-bats before sending his bases-clearing double into right field.
“It worried me some,” Weatherbee said of the slump, “but even major-league players get in a slump. I just kept on trying to swing, hit the ball and make contact with it and here we are today where I hit a double and sent three people home. I was a little bit sad (about not having a hit), but then when I hit it, it was amazing.”
“We know any kid on this team can hit the ball at any time,” Pangle said. “People are going to go through slumps and that’s fine; we’ve preached having each other’s back. You may not get a hit for a while and then all of a sudden you get that hit when we need it. That’s been our message the entire year: Just keep fighting. That was just big by him. Lifted his confidence way up. It was a monster three-run double for us.”
Pennsville starter Nate Morrison was just as unhittable as Jacobs early in the game. He faced one batter over the minimum through the first three innings and pitched into the sixth before reaching his pitch limit getting the first two batters out. He allowed only six hits over 5 2/3 innings, two unearned runs, no walks and struck out five.
Millville threatened once Morrison left the game, bringing the winning run to the plate, but reliever Caiden Colomy closed it out by getting a game-ending liner to short.
“I wasn’t worried at all,” Pangle said. “(Colomy) was the right guy. We had the utmost confidence in him. We went out and talked to him after he got a couple base runners on. We told him we believe in you, you believe in yourself, the team believes in you, this is your game, let’s finish it, and that’s what he did.”
SOUTH VINELAND 5, EAST VINELAND 2: South Vineland answered East Vineland’s two runs in the top of the fourth with two in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, then took the lead with three in the fifth to reach the championship round of the tournament.
Mason Mendez drew a bases-loaded walk to break the 2-2 tie and Kaden Potts followed with a two-run single to extend the lead.
Derek Cuba, the walk-off hero of South Vineland’s seventh-inning win over Millville Monday, pitched the first 5 1/3 innings and gave up eight hits, two earned runs and struck out seven. Ronald Leverette got the final two outs, getting a ground out with the bases loaded to end the game.
South Vineland did manage to get East Vineland slugger Enzo Candelario out once, but Candelario went 2-for-3 and hit his sixth homer in five tournament games.
South Vineland will play the survivor of the losers bracket in the championship game 7 p.m. Friday at East Vineland.
DISTRICT 3 LL FINALS TUESDAY’S GAMES (At South Vineland LL) South Vineland 5, East Vineland 2 Pennsville 5, Millville American 3 (Millville eliminated) WEDNESDAY’S GAME (At East Vineland) Pennsville vs. East Vineland, 5:45 p.m. FRIDAY’S GAME (At East Vineland) G6: South Vineland vs. Pennsville-East Vineland winner, 7 p.m. SATURDAY’S GAME (At East Vineland) G7: If necessary, 7 p.m. (Winner to Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL, starting July 12)
Pennsville Senior Softball will play host Middle Twp. for the Section 4 championship Wednesday at 6 p.m. after Middle routed Monroe Twp. 20-6 in Tuesday’s elimination game. Pennsville beat Middle 7-2 in its tournament opener Monday night.
SECTION 4 SENIOR SOFTBALL (At Middle Twp. LL) TUESDAY’S GAME Middle/Dennis Twp. 20, Monroe Twp. 6 (Monroe eliminated) WEDNESDAY’S GAMES G4: Pennsville vs. Middle/Dennis Twp., 6 p.m. G5: If necessary, 8 p.m. (Winner to State Tournament at Dennis Twp. LL)
Candelario, Kleinow homer in fifth-inning outburst that lefts East Vineland past Pennsville LL in District 3 Final Four
MONDAY’S GAMES (At Pennsville LL) South Vineland 6, Millville American 5 (7 inns.) East Vineland 7, Pennsville 4
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – JoJo Mannino saw his young life flash before his eyes in the bottom of the third inning Monday night. That’s when East Vineland slugger Enzo Candelario ripped a screaming liner back to the mound that his travel ball teammate barely had time to raise his glove and catch.
It could have been a frightening outcome for a team that had dealt with a player being struck by a batted ball once already in the tournament. If it was any consolation, it was the only time the Pennsville All-Stars — or anybody in the tournament, for that matter — has gotten the most dangerous hitter out in the District 3 Little League Tournament this year.
“I put it right down the middle for him, which is a bad idea by me, and he hit it back to me,” Mannino said. “It wasn’t that much of a scare. I just saw the ball and put my glove out there.”
The next time Candelario came to the plate, they weren’t so fortunate. He reached down to hit a three-run homer that wiped out a Pennsville lead and sent East Vineland on its way to a 7-4 victory.
East Vineland will now play South Vineland in a winner’s bracket game Wednesday 5:45 p.m. at South Vineland LL. Pennsville will look to stave off elimination against Millville American at 8 p.m. South Vineland rallied for four in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Derek Cuba’s one-out walk-off single, to beat Millville 6-5 in the opening game.
There’s no denying Candelario is the toughest out in the tournament. After going 2-for-3 against Pennsville, he is now 10-for-11 in four tournament games with eight runs scored, 10 RBIs and five home runs. He has hit 43 homers this summer between Little League and travel ball and at least one in each of his team’s District 3 tournament games.
“He’s tough,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said. “We were able to get him a couple times, to keep him in-house, in the yard, but that third time he made us pay. It was the perfect pitch, but he made the swing.”
The three-run shot was part of a five-run eruption for East Vineland in the fifth inning. Ethan Kleinow provided the other two runs with a two-run homer. It was his first homer of the season in rec ball.
Pennsville looked to be in a great shape after scoring three runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead. Mannino got it started with a game-tying solo homer with one out. Caiden Colomy, back in the lineup after being held out of Saturday’s pool play finale, put the National Division runner-ups ahead 3-2 with an RBI double and then scored what seemed to be an insurance run on a wild pitch.
“I’m proud of myself,” said Colomy, still sporting the shiner under his left eye from where a foul ball knocked him out of the South Vineland game. “I was trying to get a good hit to really get the team hyped.”
“It was awesome getting the lead, especially with Chili coming back and helping us out with that,” Pangle said. “That just shows his heart and fight, coming back from the injury and first game back hitting a ball to get us some runs.”
Colomy may have given Pennsville the lead, but they still had to get through the meat of East Vineland’s order one more time before they could secure the victory and that meant dealing with Candelario again.
There were two outs and a base open when the slugger came to the plate in the fifth and Pangle admitted he contemplated briefly intentionally walking him to load the bases. Colomy wanted to challenge him and that’s what they did.
Colomy blasted a fastball past him on the first pitch, and then threw a pitch down and away they didn’t think he could get. He reached down and got it.
“It crossed my mind, but you never know what’s going to happen with that next batter,” Pangle said. “It could’ve gone either way. If he didn’t reach for that pitch that would’ve been a strike two and then anything could happen. We just decided to go after him.”
Pennsville thought it was still in it even after the two homers. They put their first two runners on in the sixth and had them both in scoring position with one out, but ended the game with an 8-6-2 double play.
“We didn’t lose the game because of that play; there were a lot of other things we lost the game for,” Pangle said. “But that was tough, because it was a winnable game.”
SOUTH VINELAND 7, MILLVILLE AMERICAN 6: Millville scored three in the top of the seventh to take the lead, but South Vineland manager Hiram Cordero wasn’t worried. He knew what his team had coming to the plate in the bottom of the inning.
With the top of the lineup coming up, the undefeated American Division winner rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to bwin their fifth straight game in the tournament.
Ronald Leverette and Elijuah Rodriguez got it started with singles and Joel Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Matt Dilks delivered a two-run single with one out to make it a one-run game. They tied it on Mylus Moore’s infield single and walked it off when Derek Cuba sliced the game-winning single into right field.
“I knew we were going to do this,” Cordero said. “This is the team. They play better under pressure, especially under two outs. That’s what this team is about. We don’t give up. We started at the top of the lineup. We knew when it was the top of the lineup it was game time.”
Cuba was never worried.
“I knew if we had faith we could probably win this game,” he said.
DISTRICT 3 LL FINALS TUESDAY’S GAMES (At South Vineland LL) G3: South Vineland vs. East Vineland, 5:45 p.m. G4: Millville American vs. Pennsville, 8 p.m. WEDNESDAY’S GAME (At East Vineland) G5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 5:45 p.m. FRIDAY’S GAME (At East Vineland) G6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. SATURDAY’S GAME (At East Vineland) G7: If necessary, 7 p.m. (Winner to Section 4 Tournament at Erial LL, starting July 12)
South Vineland 6, Millville American 5
Millville American (2-2)
100
100
3-
5
13
0
South Vineland (5-0)
200
000
4-
6
8
1
WP: Elijuah Perez. LP: Braydon Moore. 2B: Braydon Moore (MA), Carter Robinson (MA), Chase Wagner (MA), J.J. Rodriguez (SV)
Pennsville hits four inside-the-park homers, wraps up pool play with rout of Bridgeton; Elmer wraps up its tournament with win over Buena
SATURDAY’S GAMES Pennsville 18, Bridgeton 1 Elmer 10, Buena 7
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
BRIDGETON – The Pennsville Little League All-Stars already had their spot in the District 3 Final Four clinched before they took the field Saturday night, but they were determined not to take their foot off the gas.
Pennsville batted around in the top of the first and strung together eight straight two-out hits to produce six runs and had four inside-the-park homers among their 16 hits on the way to a 18-1 rout of Bridgeton in their final game of pool play.
“We came out swinging,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said. “We talked last game about how many looking third strikes we had and we wanted to stop that. They went up there aggressive and it helped.”
Pennsville, 3-1 in pool play, will host the opening round of the district Final Four at McLaughlin Field Monday and will play National 1 East Vineland (3-0) at 8 p.m. American 1 South Vineland (4-0) and Millville American (2-1) play the first game at 5:45 p.m.
JoJo Mannino and Nathan Breeden both went 3-for-3. Mannino had six RBIs and Breeden three. Mannino hit two of the inside-the-park homers, while Nathan Breeden and Nate Morrison had the others. Morrison, John Swiderski, Chase Pangle and Caleb Fontaine had two hits apiece.
Mannino went 4-for-8 with eight RBIs in the four pool games. Breeden went 5-for-9, Morrison 7-for-12 (with seven runs) and Swiderski 6-for-10. Morrison and Swiderski had at least one hit in every game.
Bridgeton retired the first two Pennsville hitters in the first, then the hit parade began. Swiderski got the ball rolling with a single and Mannino followed with an inside-the-park home run for a 2-0 lead.
Breeden and Pangle had back-to-back doubles (3-0), Fontaine an RBI triple then stole home (5-0) and Brayden Weatherbee, Lauden Tighe and Brayden Roberts had consecutive singles (6-0) before an infield out ended the inning.
“That just shows their heart and fight,” Pangle said. “They’re a no-quit team. They keep battling no matter how many outs there are, no matter what the situation is; they keep fighting. That showed in the first and third innings.
“Our first two hitters went down pretty quick – they were hard hit – and then our third batter was able to get the bat on the ball and it opened us up. Hitting is contagious and they fell in line and started hitting.”
Pennsville added five in the second with Breeden’s two-run triple the big blow. And they scored seventh in the third — again all with two outs – highlighted by back-to-back inside-the-park homers by Mannino (a three-run play) and Breeden.
“I’ve never seen that many legit inside-the-park home runs,” Pangle said. “To me the field looked smaller, so I thought we were going to not be able to take doubles and triples maybe, but the fielders were just having a hard time. They were jumping up instead of back and the ball would hit in front of them and roll all the way to the fence.”
ELMER 10, BUENA 7: Elmer scored four in the first inning and four in the fourth to open a 10-3 lead, then held off Buena’s sixth-inning comeback bid to win finish 2-2 for the tournament. They won their final two games after opening with a pair of tight losses to the division’s Final Four qualifiers.
Chase Moir went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Grayson Bingham had three hits and two RBIs. Brandon D’Agostino and winning pitcher Easton Aulffo had two hits apiece.
MONDAY’S GAMES (At Pennsville LL) South Vineland vs. Millville American, 5:45 p.m. East Vineland vs. Pennsville, 8 p.m. TUESDAY’S GAMES (At South Vineland LL) South Vineland-Millville American winner vs. East Vineland-Pennsville winner, 5:45 p.m. South Vineland-Millville American loser vs. East Vineland-Pennsville loser, 8 p.m.
First round of the District 3 12U Little League double-elimination stage set after South Vineland, Millville win; Pennsville mathematically clinches without playing
FRIDAY’S GAMES South Vineland 6, Buena 5 Millville American 7, Penns Grove 6
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
The Final Four of the District 3 Little League Tournament was finalized Friday before the final day of pool play when South Vineland and Millville American scored one-run victories in their final pool games.
South Vineland clinched the No. 1 seed in the American Division when it held off a sixth-inning rally by Buena to win 6-5. Millville American rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to get past Penns Grove 7-6 for the second spot from the National.
With South Vineland’s win, Pennsville clinched the 2 seed from the American Division regardless of the outcome of their game Saturday at Bridgeton. Even if Pennsville is upset by winless Bridgeton and finishes 2-2 in pool play, they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over both Buena and Elmer, who play each other Saturday to go 2-2.
East Vineland clinched the No. 1 seed in the National Division earlier in the week.
“It’s huge for Pennsville baseball,” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said. “It hasn’t been done since 2019 (when they won the district title), so this is a big milestone for Pennsville baseball and it kind of shows you this team is relentless and is ready to go on as far as we can.”
Pennsville will play East Vineland and South Vineland will play Millville when the double-elimination phase of the tournament starts Monday at Pennsville.
In Millville, Penns Grove had their hosts on the brink of elimination after scoring four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-3 lead, their third lead of the game.
Chase Hassler delivered what appeared to be the death blow when he ripped a two-run double to knock Millville out of the potential run-ratio tiebreaker and put West Cumberland in position to make the Final Four. Hassler’s hit followed a game-tying single by Bryce Painter and a go-ahead double by Tariq Robinson.
But Millville rallied in the bottom of the inning, scoring all four runs without ever recording an out.They opened the inning with a triple and RBI double by Ayden Hahn. Carter Robinson delivered a bases-loaded double to tie the game 6-6 and get the winning run to third, and Vash Jacobs brought that home with a grounder to first.
Penns Grove held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 earlier in the game.
In Buena, South Vineland took a 6-1 lead into the sixth inning then held on as Buena scored four runs to make it close. South Vineland pounded out 11 hits in the game with Mason Mendez and Joel Rodriguez getting two apiece. Rodriguez also had two RBIs.
Even though Pennsville has clinched a playoff spot, it has no plans of letting off the gas in its final pool play.
Third baseman Caiden (Chili) Colomy won’t play as he recovers from getting struck with a foul ball Thursday night at South Vineland (and his status for Monday is uncertain), but he will be in the dugout with his teammates. And the pitching plan may be a little more flexible with JoJo Mannino unavailable to throw and Colomy out, but beyond that, Pangle said, “we’re going to go business as usual.”
“We’re going to give the kids the mindset we win we’re in so that way we still have all of our effort and everything there,” Pangle said. “We’re still going into the game to win the game. We’re not just going to sit back and relax.”
Millville American 7, Penns Grove 6
Penns Grove
010
104-
6
7
1
Millville American
010
024-
7
10
2
One out when winning run scored. WP: Trevor Shelton. LP: Grayson Spinelli. 2B: Grayson Spinelli (PG), Zac Dordell (PG), Carter Robinson 2 (MA), Ayden Hahn (MA), Braydon Moore (MA), Trevor Shelton (MA). Scoring from Gamechanger.
South Vineland 6, Buena 5
Buena
100
004-
5
10
1
South Vineland
003
21X-
6
11
1
WP: Antonio LeBron. LP: Na’Sir Crippen. 2B: Dominic Wargo (B), Antonio LeBron (SV), Jozeah Rodriguez (SV), Keyden Potts (SV). 3B: Mylus Moore (SV). Scoring by Gamechanger.
District 3 LL Tournament
AMERICAN
W
L
RUNS
NATIONAL
W
L
RUNS
x-S. Vineland
4
0
37-14
x-E. Vineland
3
0
29-15
x-Pennsville
2
1
10-11
x-Millville Amer
2
1
20-18
Buena
1
2
18-9
W. Cumberland
1
2
15-16
Elmer
1
2
26-13
Penns Grove
0
3
11-25
Bridgeton
0
3
2-46
x-Clinched spot in double elimination round
SATURDAY’S GAMES Pennsville at Bridgeton, 5 p.m. Elmer at Buena, 5 p.m. MONDAY’S GAMES (At Pennsville LL) South Vineland vs. Millville American, 5:45 p.m. East Vineland vs. Pennsville, 8 p.m.
South Vineland comes from behind to stop Pennsville in District 3 American Division battle of unbeatens; Pennsville now looks to clinch a 2 seed in Saturday’s pool finale
DISTRICT 3 LL TOURNAMENT THURSDAY’S GAME South Vineland 7, Pennsville 2
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
VINELAND – Before the start of their District 3 Little League Tournament showdown with South Vineland Thursday, the Pennsville players’ focus was squarely on winning the game and clinching the top seed out of the American Division.
After the third inning the mission had changed. It had gone from just winning the game to doing everything going forward for their friend and teammate Caiden Colomy.
The Pennsville third baseman took a foul ball in the face batting in the top of the third inning and had to leave the game. The players who remained gave it all they had before things unraveled in the fifth inning and South Vineland went on to take a 7-2 victory for the upper hand in the division.
“Even the kids were saying ‘Let’s do it for Chili,’” Pennsville manager Steve Pangle said. “They were trying to do it for their teammate and friend who got hurt.”
Pennsville trailed 3-2 when Colomy came to the plate with two outs in the third. The ball came off the bat and hit him in the nose and forehead, leaving a bruise around his left eye. He was taken to a nearby hospital for care. Reports to Pangle shortly after the game indicated Colomy was fine just waiting for the doctor. Tests later revealed no fractures, but the player will have to follow up with the eye doctor.
His status for Saturday’s pool play finale wasn’t immediately known. Pennsville plays at Bridgeton, the weakest team in the division, with the expectation of locking up the 2 seed in the division for the round-robin stage of the tournament, so they probably could play without him although they’d prefer all hands on deck. It was said Colomy didn’t want to come out of the game when he was injured.
With him out, Pennsville not only loses its regular third baseman, but the No. 2 hitter in the lineup and another pitcher.
“You could see in previous games what our 1, 2, 3, 4 hitters have done,” Pangle said. “He brings a lot to the game, both at third base and as our 2 hitter. He’s in the 2 hole for a reason. So, yeah, that hurt having to skip his spot. That gave us one less hitter, one less contact hitter, to have in the game. “It hurt, but the kids kept their heads up there for a while, especially when he got hurt, and that was big turning it into the game for Chili.”
For the record, the first four hitters in Pennsville’s lineup were a combined 8-for-20 with six runs, six RBIs, two doubles, two homers and a .700 on-base percentage in the first two games. Colomy was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and pitched in each game.
John Swiderski hits behind Colomy in the lineup. He assumed Colomy’s 0-1 count when play resumed and promptly singled up the middle. Everybody in the order moved up a spot. Brayden Weatherbee took over at third base in the bottom of the inning, later trading places with catcher Caleb Fontaine in the fourth.
“Everyone was trying to rally because he was hurt,” Swiderski said. “I knew what was going on. I knew it couldn’t be an automatic out; that happened to me before. It ramped me up. I wanted to win.”
The night started well for Pennsville. They scored twice in the first inning with the help of three errors that helped them circle the bases. South Vineland tied it in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back RBI doubles, took the lead in the second and extended it in the fourth to bring a pitching change.
Pennsville put together a threat in the fifth, putting the tying runs in scoring position with one out and the top of the order that would have included Colomy coming to the plate, but they couldn’t bring them home.
“It just didn’t work out,” Pangle said. “It was a high-pressure point (n the game). Nine out of 10 times he’s going to come through. This just happened to be that one time.”
South Vineland made them pay by scoring three in the bottom of the inning taking advantage of the same shortcomings Pennsville did in the first inning. South Vineland can clinch the No. 1 seed in the American Division by beating Buena Friday.
South Vineland 7, Pennsville 2
Pennsville
200
000-
2
3
4
South Vineland
210
13X-
7
4
3
WP: Derek Cuba (1-0). LP: JoJo Mannino (1-1). 2B: Joel Rodriguez (SV), Elijuah Perez (SV), Derek Cuba (SV).
District 3 LL Tournament
AMERICAN
W
L
RUNS
NATIONAL
W
L
RUNS
S. Vineland
3
0
31-9
x-E. Vineland
3
0
29-15
Pennsville
2
1
10-11
Millville Amer
1
1
13-12
Buena
1
1
13-3
W. Cumberland
1
2
15-16
Elmer
1
2
26-13
Penns Grove
0
2
5-18
Bridgeton
0
3
2-46
x-Clinched spot in double elimination round
FRIDAY’S GAMES South Vineland at Buena, 5:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Millville American, 5:45 p.m. SATURDAY’S GAMES Pennsville at Bridgeton, 5 p.m. Elmer at Buena, 5 p.m. MONDAY’S GAME (At Pennsville LL) American 1 vs. National 2, 5:45 p.m. East Vineland vs. American 2, 8 p.m.
After tough losses in its first two games, Elmer crushes Bridgeton for its first win in the District 3 LL Tournament
By Riverview Sports News
BRIDGETON – The Elmer Little League Majors All-Stars didn’t let a pair of tough losses in their first two games get them down.
Their bats erupted for 11 hits and Mateo Cummings pitched a three-inning no-hitter as Elmer crushed Bridgeton 17-1 for its first win in this year’s District 3 Tournament.
Three players had two hits and four had at least two RBIs.
“We came out after two tough losses and before the game we got together and said we need to go out there and play to the ability like we have in the last two games and play aggressive and the guys stepped up and did that,” Elmer manager Matt Schneider said. “Guys 1 through 11 in the order all put the bat on the ball.
“We were aggressive right out of the box. I told the guys let’s play hard and run from the start.”
Brandon D’Agostino and Easton Aulffo both had two hits and three RBIs. Ryan Schneider hit a pair of triples with two RBIs and Paul McCormick had a two-run single in the first inning.
Cummings threw 48 pitches in his gem, 30 for strikes. He struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter.
“Mateo was on our regular-season team this spring and he struggled a little bit,” Schneider said. “We really wanted to give him this game for a confidence builder. It was a good morale boost for him.”
Elmer plays its final game of pool play Saturday at Buena.
“This was a good game to get under our belt and after the tough ones we had it’s nice to rally and hopefully take that momentum and put it towards Buena on Saturday,” Schneider said. “As much as I’d love to be 4-0, being in a position to be .500, having lost to the two (division-leading) teams, it’s going to be good for us to finish on a high note.”
DISTRICT 3 TOURNAMENT WEDNESDAY’S GAMES Elmer 17, Bridgeton 1 East Vineland 8, West Cumberland 5
District 3 LL Tournament
AMERICAN
W
L
RUNS
NATIONAL
W
L
RUNS
Pennsville
2
0
8-4
x-E. Vineland
3
0
29-15
S. Vineland
2
0
24-7
Millville Amer
1
1
13-12
Buena
1
1
13-3
W. Cumberland
1
2
15-16
Elmer
1
2
26-13
Penns Grove
0
2
5-18
Bridgeton
0
3
2-46
x-Clinched spot in double elimination round
THURSDAY’S GAMES Pennsville at South Vineland, 5:45 p.m. FRIDAY’S GAMES South Vineland at Buena, 5:45 p.m. Penns Grove at Millville American, 5:45 p.m. SATURDAY’S GAMES Pennsville at Bridgeton, 5 p.m. Elmer at Buena, 5 p.m.
InterAc All-Stars rally in late innings again, topple Tri-Cape All-Stars in bottom of ninth for first Carpenter Cup title
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA – Over the past four summers the Tri-Cape All-Stars have experienced almost every emotion a baseball team can feel. They’ve been over the moon winning Carpenter Cup championships in 2021 and 2022 and they felt the despair of losing in the championship game last year.
But even as the rosters change each year nothing could compare to the hurt they felt Wednesday when they lost this year’s title game in Citizens Bank Park after leading with six outs to go.
InterAc, a championship game first-timer with at least one big-league prospect on its roster, pushed across two runs in the eighth inning to tie the game and then scored an unearned run in the ninth to pull out a 3-2 win.
“It’s awful,” Pennsville junior Peyton O’Brien said. “To come all this way and then to lose, especially when we were up the whole game and we thought we were going to win and to lose it late it just sucks. You always hate losing no matter what.”
Tri-Cape led 2-0 going into the bottom of the eighth, but InterAc tied the game on Cole Kirschner’s two-run double to right center. They scored the game winner off William Grayson (Oakcrest), one of two pitchers Tri-Cape manager D.J. Gore added late Tuesday night to give them enough arms to compete.
The ninth started when Tri-Cape third baseman Guy Lynam misplayed leadoff man Lucas Albert’s bunt into a two-base error. Albert (Germantown Academy) went to third on a wild pitch and scored the game-winner with a head-first slide on Jimmy Amplo’s sacrifice fly to left field.
It was a familiar scenario for InterAc. They won their semifinal game against defending champion Jersey Shore Tuesday with a four-run rally in the ninth.
“I like them,” Gore assessed of the InterAc team. “It’s an all-star team. For us, when we talk about, like, our St. Augustine Prep and Gloucester Catholic, it’s similar to what that is over there.
“Very good franchise. You see a Louisville commit, potential major-league draft pick, start the game against us. We had our 1 going, too, and I think it was a treat for the fans to watch there. It’s a really good franchise. They do things the right way. We just needed to play a little better today.”
Tri-Cape All-Stars manager D.J. Gore gathers his team after it just lost to InterAc in the bottom of the ninth inning of the Carpenter Cup championship game. Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky (44) is in the foreground.
Tri-Cape did have the go-ahead runner in scoring position twice in the top of the ninth, but couldn’t bring it home. They also came up empty with a runner at second and one out in the fourth and bases loaded with two outs in the seventh after having Jack Mustaro (Gloucester Catholic) cut down in a collision at the plate earlier in the inning.
“There were opportunities; I think we could have put the game away and we just didn’t do it,” Gore said. “You can’t do that in all-star caliber kind of baseball. Give credit to them for what they did and being able to withstand and make some plays when they needed to make some plays.
“You have to execute in some situations. There were some things we’d like to have back to do but we didn’t, but you can’t fault anybody’s effort or anything like that. These kids have given up three weeks of the summer to represent the Tri-Cape franchise and I couldn’t be any prouder of a group of kids.”
InterAc started Tague Davis (Malvern Prep), the son of former major-leaguer and Phillies studio host Ben Davis, and Tri-Cape countered with Miami commitment Tate DeRias (Gloucester Catholic). Both pitched the first three innings. Davis gave up two hits, an unearned run and struck out five. DeRias pitched three no-hit innings.
Tri-Cape’s first three pitchers threw seven shutout innings, giving up four hits and one walk.
“It feels really good getting a chance to go out there and throw (in a major-league stadium),” DeRias said. “You step on the mound and it’s kind of like, ‘Wow, this is where all the pros play, this is where the guys I look up to pitch.
“It’s pretty cool to soak it in and go out there and throw three hitless innings. Not many guys might have the chance of that happening in the future, so hopefully it was taste of the future for me. I’d love to come back as a major league ballplayer and pitch (here).
”All three Salem County players batted in the game.O’Brien (first base) and Chase Burchfield (designated hitter) drew starts and Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky went into right field late in the game and chased down Kirschner’s game-tying double in the eighth.
O’Brien was a last-minute addition to the starting lineup and went 1-for-2. He drove in Tri-Cape’s second run of the game with a single in the fourth after fouling off three straight payoff pitches. He went 3-for-7 with two RBIs in the tournament.
“It was awesome,” he said. “I was up in a big spot, man on third, one out and I was refusing to strike out. I knew I had to put a ball in play and try to make things happen and that’s what I did and got the RBI.”
Burchfield was 0-for-2 and Pokrovsky, who pitched in each of Tri-Cape’s first three games and was given his first chance to hit Wednesday, went 0-for-1 and hit by a pitch.
Carpenter Cup Championship Game InterAc 3, Tri-Cape 2
Tri-Cape
001
100
000-
2
8
1
InterAc
000
000
021-
3
7
2
One out when winning run scored.
WP: Hunter West (1-0). LP: William Grayson (0-1). 2B: Hunter Ray (TC), Jack Mustaro (TC), Sergio Droz (TC), Cole Kirschner (IA).
InterAc’s Lucas Albert slides head first into the plate with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. (Photo courtesy of The Phillies)
Cover photo: The players from the InterAc All-Stars raise the Carpenter Cup after beating Tri-Cape in the tournament championship game. (The Phillies/Miles Kennedy)
Pennsville’s O’Brien plays big role in eighth-inning rally that sends Tri-Cape to Carpenter Cup finals for fourth year in a row
CARPENTER CUP Tuesday’s semifinals at Citizens Bank Park InterAc 5, Jersey Shore 4 Tri-Cape 6, Delaware County 3 Championship Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park InterAc vs. Tri-Cape, 9:30 a.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PHILADELPHIA — Peyton O’Brien never took part in Kids Run The Bases at Citizens Bank Park when he was growing up, but given the chance Tuesday afternoon, he ran like the wind.
The rising Pennsville senior might not have the wheels of Trea Turner, but his Bryce Harper-like base-running savvy played a big part in the eighth-inning rally that lifted his Tri-Cape All-Stars past Delaware County 6-3 and into the Carpenter Cup championship game for the fourth year in a row.
Tri-Cape will play the InterAc/Independent stars in CBP Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. They raised the Cup in 2021 and 2022 and lost in the title game last year.
“Man, it’s awesome,” O’Brien said. “For one, to just be able to play in this park and, two, to be to be able to play for something makes it’s even better.”
The Tri-Cape/Delco game was tied at 3 after Delco scored twice in the top of the eighth, but Tri-Cape answered quickly in what manager D.J. Gore called “the epitome” of the secret to the program’s success in this four-year run: Buying into what the coaches ask the players to do.
Hunter Ray (Lower Cape May) led off the bottom half of inning with a walk and with one out O’Brien, who entered the game in the sixth for starting Pennsville teammate Chase Burchfield, sent a shot into right centerfield for his second hit of the tournament. Ray drew a throw to third and O’Brien smartly took the extra base when the infielders drifted away from the bag.
Zach Maxwell (Delsea) then dropped a “terrific” bunt in front of the plate that Gore called the difference in the game. Delco third baseman Harrison Maull charged and tried to backhand flip it toward home, but the ball sailed well past the catcher allowing Ray to score the go-ahead run. O’Brien kept coming and slid in well ahead of the ball getting back to the pitcher covering to make it 5-3.
“I always try to stay aggressive,” O’Brien said. “I might not be the fastest kid, but whenever I can get an extra bag I try to take it and try to do my best on the bases because that’s a big asset in the game that people forget about.
“On the ball I hit I was just trying to get an extra bag. I took a peek at second and saw there was no one covering and I thought the outfielder was going to try to throw the guy out at third so I knew I had an advantage so I took the extra bag. (On the bunt) I was down to third as quick as I could and as soon as I saw that ball go by the catcher I didn’t think twice, I just went straight home.”
“It was good baserunning,” Gore said. “It was a good baseball play.”
The burst of speed certainly impressed O’Brien’s teammates.
“I just think he must have been put on the treadmill lately,” Burchfield said. “He can run now.”
Burchfield drew the start at DH and reached base in both his plate appearances after falling behind 0-2 in both at-bats. He coaxed a walk in the third inning and scored Tri-Cape’s first run and singled to left to load the bases in the fourth.
“I went down 0-2 and I knew I just had to put something in play,” he said. “I didn’t want to strike out on three pitches; I was like I’ve got to work an at-bat here. It landed in the right spot, so it felt pretty good. I wasn’t nervous. I thought it was pretty fun to be out here and get a hit.”
Schalick’s Luke Pokrovsky threw an inning out of the bullpen. He got Tri-Cape out of a jam in the sixth, but left with two on and one out in the seventh.
He replaced Travis Large (Ocean City) after Campbell McCormack one-hopped the fence to plate Delco’s first run. He put the tying run on base with a walk, but got out of the trouble with an fielder’s choice that put runners at the corners and an inning-ending strikeout.
His seventh started well with a ground out to first, but he was lifted after a walk and a single. Nate Bott (Kingsway) put out that fire and wound up getting the win.
“I was kind of nervous (but) no more nervous than other places, like normal ball parks,” Pokrovsky said. “I just tried to throw strikes, but I was pulling off a lot.”
It was likely the left-hander’s final pitching outing of the tournament as Gore said he would be used as a position player/hitter in the championship game. Pokrovsky has pitched in all three of Tri-Cape’s tournaments games thus far. In 3 2/3 innings he allowed two hits, no runs and struck out five.
After today we’re going to be able to flip Luke to be able to hit tomorrow so we’re going to look to see that side of him,” Gore said. “I know that’s a really special side. He’s done a really good job for us on the mound, but he’ll be a position player for us tomorrow.”
In the other semifinal, InterAc scored four runs in the ninth inning to take the lead, then held off a rally in the bottom of the ninth to eliminate defending champion Jersey Shore 5-4. They will be playing in the championship game for the first time.
Tri-Cape 6, Delaware County 3
Delaware County
000
001
020-
3
7
4
Tri-Cape
001
020
03X-
6
7
1
WP: Nate Bott (1-0). LP: Sabo Graham (0-1). S: Benedetto Andreoli (1). 2B: Campbell McCormack (DC), James Quici (DC).
InterAc 5, Jersey Shore 4
Inter-Ac
000
001
004-
5
6
1
Jersey Shore
000
100
201-
4
5
1
WP: D.J. Peterson (1-0). LP: Dylan Shaffer (0-1). 2B: Tague Davis (IA), Joe Maier (JS). 3B: Tommy Markey (IA)
Riverview Sports News 